An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetherolea, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. Essential oils may be used in aromatherapy, to induce relaxation or to create a scent profile that is pleasing to a user. For this purpose, people often use diffusers, which spread the vaporized oil into a desired environment.
However, many essential oil diffusers suffer from the same drawbacks. In particular, the diffusion mechanism is often complex, requiring a bulky device. Techniques, such as heating the oil, do cause increase the rate of vaporization and consequently the size of the environment into which the essential oil can be diffused. However, this also makes in applicable in many environments. For example, the heat or electronics may create a hazard when used in dry or moist environments, respectively.
In addition, these diffusers often require a horizontal surface in order to operate properly. That is, the diffuser won't work properly unless they are placed on a smooth horizontal surface. While this is acceptable in some environments, other environments lack the space for such placement and/or the horizontal surfaces aren't acceptable for placement of a diffuser.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a diffuser that can be used in small environments. In addition, there is a need in the art for the diffuser to be configured to be placed on a non-horizontal surface.